


Knife To The Heart 2

by akir4



Series: Knife To The Heart [2]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Assassination, Assassins & Hitmen, F/F, F/M, Italian Mafia, Russian Mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akir4/pseuds/akir4
Summary: Iota comes back out of nowhere, on her way to get Signe back. Trying to restore what she lost 3 years ago.I strongly recommend reading the first part before this one, otherwise it won't make sense.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Knife To The Heart [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965727
Comments: 5
Kudos: 2





	1. Escape

[LUNCHTIME; CAFETERIA]

I'm sitting with my usual group, eating lunch. The food was shit as always.   
"Right, and then I kicked the cop down and kicked him in the balls!"  
"Mike, you told that story a million times y-" Alyssa got cut off by the sudden sound of a blaring siren.  
"What the fuck is that?"  
"Break in alarm."   
"Finally" I stood up.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Out of here, obviously."  
"Yeah, no. We're coming with you. I stopped to look at Alyssa. She had a stern look on her face. She wasn't budging.  
"Fine. I'm not responsible for anyone's death, or fail to escape. Also, I can't say anything for how life will go on outside. After all, we live in different worlds. Uncomfortable silence took over. Everyone looked at each other.   
"We're doing this right here, right now." Bonnie spoke up.  
"Follow my lead and do what I say. We have one chance at this." Everyone nodded in confirmation.  
"Lets go!"  
We went running out the cafeteria.

The hallway was filled with guards trying to stuff inmates into cells. It was the perfect opportunity to get trough. We quickly slid between the crowd and rounded the corner. The hallways were surprisingly empty. We didn't have much trouble going trough...until we came to the end of prisoner quarters. On the other side, packed with heavy security, were rows of cops.   
"Fuck. Stay low." We all hid behind a corner. In the distance, you could hear a gunfight. I got goosebumps.   
"Hey! You there!" Some cops from behind us yelled.   
"Hide!" I said as I stood up and came running towards the cops. They opened fire so I slid underneath them and knocked them down by kicking them behind their knees. They fell down with a loud thud and I stood back up. I took the gun from one of their belts and shot both of them in the back of the head. I ran back to where the others were hiding.  
"Damn. I sure wouldn't want you as my enemy."  
"Thanks." 

I checked the other side again and saw that there were less cops than before. I snuck up behind them and got a better look at the scene. What I saw definitely wasn't what I suspected. The gunfight consisted of a row of cops and...assassins. All of them infamous high-ranks. I couldn't believe my eyes. But this just proved my suspicions. I knew exactly who was behind this.  
I came up behind a cop and killed him quietly before stealing his gun. It was an automatic one, so it made things easier. I shot up the remainder of the guards with the help of other assassins.  
"You can come out now." The five of them piled out from behind the corner. The assassins instinctively raised their weapons.  
"It's fine. They're with me." I said as I raised my hand. The five of them were looking around the bloody scene filled with corpses of guards.  
"You're terrifying." The twins said in unison.  
"Not just me. All of them." I said as I gestured to the other assassins. "Lets go now." All of us started to pile out the room. As we were reaching the exit, another gunfire became louder.

Right at the small lobby before the exit, stood Zephyra with a machine gun in her hands. She was shooting anything that breathed. Her hair was even longer and tied in a ponytail. I noticed a few gray streaks in her hair. Stress maybe? She was wearing that same black trench coat, covering her to her ankles. She was also pale. She quickly killed off the remaining guards and I ran up to her.  
"Took you long enough" I said before I hugged her tightly. She immediately hugged back.  
"I missed you so much." I heard her muffled voice. I felt a few tears soak into my shirt. We finally pulled apart.   
"Lets go home." All of us piled out into the courtyard. Outside, there was a helicopter and a few vans. Outside the helicopter, walked out a person I didn't think I'd see again.  
"Marco!" I yelped as I jumped into his embrace. He laughed at me, but tightened the hug. I couldn't contain the tears.   
"You're alive, thank God."   
"Barely." I stepped back and took a good look at him. He looked a bit sunken and pale. His hair grew out and was even messier than the first time I met him. It was now shoulder length. I noticed bandages around his neck and forearm. My heart ached but I was just glad he was back. 

"Hey, Signe?"  
"Yeah?" I turned towards Zephyra.  
"What do you want me to do with them?"  
"Just get them out of here. Ask them if they need anything." She nodded and went back to some other assassins to talk everything out. I went back to the five of them.

"I guess this is goodbye. I'll try to keep in touch. Tell the assassins if you need anything. If they are troubling you just mention me or Iota."  
"Who's Iota?" Mike asked.  
"Me." I heard Zephyra behind me. She pulled me into a hug from behind and rested her head on my shoulder. All of them tensed up at the sight of her.  
"Relax, she won't hurt you." She nodded slightly.   
"Stay safe out there. You are wanted criminals now, right?"  
"What about you, Signe? What are you gonna do after you leave?" Bonnie asked.  
"Me..? I'm gonna continue as I did before jail."  
"Killin' people?"  
"Yeah. I don't know better. I gave my life up for this. And after all, the people I love the most are there. I can't dip now." I gave him a reassuring smile.   
"See you around, I guess." We all turned our separate ways. 

Hand in hand, me and Zephyra boarded the helicopter. We sat next to Marco who greeted us with a warm smile.   
"Let's go home now."   
The helicopter took off.


	2. Confined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Signe is confined all over again. But not for long. Zephyra has a plan.

I'm confined again!  
Amazing.

Let me start from the beginning.

A few weeks passed since I escaped prison. Due to the agency's influence in New York and the whole of America, the escape was covered up and I once again, didn't have to worry about my identity. Since so many years passed, the three of us were a bit rusty, so we returned to intensive training. We laid off missions for a while and just trained every day. We started from the basics, like strength training, and progressed to our specific assassin skills, re-polishing them. After around a month and a half, the three of us were back and better than before. We were at our peak. So we slowly returned to missions. It was all going smoothly until.... 

"They figured us out. We need to leave!" I followed Zephyra down a hallway, running towards the exit. We thought we were gonna escape, no problem.  
Oh how wrong we were.   
What we overlooked was another hallway connecting to this one, right next to the exit door. Out of no where, three buff security guards knocked us down. It was so sudden. Since I was behind Zephyra, I got hit more directly. I was out almost immediately knocked . I fell to the floor and my vision already started getting blurry.  
"Signe!" I heard Zephyra yell out before I lost consciousness. I don't know what happened afterwards, I just know I'm stuck in this shitty place. Still better than orphanage training. 

I think a few hours passed since that incident. I honestly don't know since there is no window here, and the only light emitting in the room is from the small air opening on the door. No one came by yet, and I've only been left some shitty food on the floor. It's cold and humid. Just shit overall.

[AROUND THE SAME TIME, ZEPHYRA'S POV]  
"Zeph, calm down!" I slapped Marco as hard as I could.  
"How the fuck can I calm down? Signe was fucking kidnapped last night!"  
"We submitted a report directly to HQ. We should be patient."  
"HQ my ass. They wont do anything unless I use force. Either that or I get her myself."  
"Hey, don't go around being reckless."  
"All I can do is be reckless. I'm going to HQ. You can come if you want." I turned my back to him and went to get my coat.

It's been around 12 hours since she was kidnapped. I couldn't sleep for a second. I kept thinking about Signe. I know she's fine. She's strong.   
As I was about to open the door, I felt Marco's presence behind me. Neither of us said anything, and there was no need to. We knew we could rely on each other, no questions asked. He supports me in everything and I support him in everything.   
We drove to the Agency HQ and immediately went to the Communications division. They're very versatile and have mini sectors for different things. Our target sector was the Missing Agent Minor Division. A representative went out into the hallway to talk to us.  
"Hello, how may I help you?"  
"I sent a report about a missing agent around 12 hours ago and still haven't gotten any response?"  
"I'm sorry miss, but we have a lot of reports and-" I swiftly pulled the hunting knife from my pocket and cut him off by stabbing it into the wall next to his face. He looked clearly terrified, but tried to remain calm. I leaned in, inches away from his face.  
"Signe is a person very important to me. If she's missing as much as a hair I'll personally make you suffer for it. I'll let you figure out what'll happen if she's dead. So how about you be a good little boy and do your fucking job?" I pulled the knife out from the wall, not breaking eye contact.  
He just swallowed and nodded nervously.

He led us inside the office and to his computer.  
"What's the agents name?"  
"Signe Hexum."  
"There she is. Thank fully, her GPS tracker is still on, so we can get her location. Earliest we can send aid is tonight."  
"There'll be no need. Just give me the location." The guy gave me the location and we left.  
"Are you gonna  
"Yeah. I'm calling the Quint." 

[SAME DAY, THREE HOURS LATER]  
"So Zeph, why did you call us again?"  
"Signe was kidnapped. Botched mission."   
"Again? I'm beginning to doubt her capability." I threw a knife at his forehead and he caught it right before it pierced his head. Expected nothing less of Ace. A gust of wind blew his long white hair back.  
"You wont catch it next time." He rolled his eyes.  
"Anyway, do you have a plan?" Jack said.  
"A plan? Get in and kill anyone in our way."  
"You're always so blunt."  
"Whatever you say, T." 

The Quint was a small squad of assassins I formed after joining. All five of us are dominating the ranks and are the best of the best in our field.  
It consists of:  
-Me  
-Marco  
-Ace- Third on the ranks, after me and Marco. He has long white hair with greyish streaks and grey eyes. He's mischievous and sadistic, often likes to confuse and torture his victims. He's highly intelligent and is always prepared for everything. Weapon of choice: butterfly knife. Excels in all fields and his skills are at their peak.  
-Jack- Fourth on the ranks. He has spiky red hair and blue eyes. He has an explosive and loud personality and likes using flashy methods. Likes to insult others but cant take being insulted. Ace loves to torture him by relentlessly bullying him. Weapon of choice: anything flashy that'll get him attention. Excels at face-to-face combat and he has great strength.  
-T- Fifth on the ranks. Full name Tilly. She has dark blue afro hair and dark skin with brown eyes. She has a bubbly personality, but that can turn deadly. The backbone of the group. Likes to kill swiftly and without much mess. Weapon of choice: poison. She always wears black lipstick and gothic clothing. Excels at stealth and has proven most effective out the five of us. Her speed is unmatched.

We had a strong bond after working together for so long. I knew Marco prior, so he was first. Second I met Ace. At the time, he was second and I was third. I was in the Agency for about a year when I met him. I hated him at first, but we bonded over our ranks and hatred for the industry. We were always competing over the first place, until Marco kicked him down to third. After that, he never tried to come back to the top. He's a weird dude.  
A few months after that I met Tilly. We were actually assigned a mission together, so we bonded over the time we were working together. Eventually she met Marco and Ace, and we became a small squad. She was always friendly and approachable, but I was kind of intimidated by her. At the time, she was much more experienced than me so I looked up to her. I learned a lot by working with her actually.   
I met Jack last, a few months after Tilly. The way I met him was pretty funny. Me and Marco were walking down a hallway when we heard someone yell and argue. We came closer and saw Jack, who had spiky black hair then, arguing with an office lady. I just came up behind him and knocked him out by a direct hit to the back of his head. I apologized to the lady and dragged him away somewhere. When he woke up, he was pissed. He wanted to fight me right away. But because of his lack of thinking, I easily overpowered him. After that, the three of us talked and eventually, he met the others.

That's when we became the Quint. An infamous assassin squad. We've been inactive for years. We strayed apart after I got my first subordinate, Vanessa, and never really went on joint missions together. Until now. Thanks to Signe. She brought us back together. In the weirdest way possible.

[LATER THAT EVENING]  
I looked around at the four people surrounding me. They all looked ready to go. It was nostalgic in a way.   
We went in two cars, to avoid suspicion. The location was relatively far away, so the ride took some time. It was quiet, but we all new the seriousness of the situation. We parked close to the location and armed our selves with various weapons. I led the group. I kicked the front door down and immediately the alarm went off.  
"Go wild." 

[A BIT BEFORE THE ALARM, SIGNE'S POV]  
They have been beating me for hours now. I wasn't a problem for me to endure it, but it was getting tiring. I was hungry as well, so that didn't help. There were three guys in the room with me. One of them was holding me back, while the two others were beating me.  
That's when for the first time after six hours I felt relief.  
The alarm started blaring. The three guys were so surprised. I smiled to myself.  
"You're so dead." I broke free of the now loosened grip on me and hit the guy in the neck. I got up knocked the other guys out with a kick to the head. I kicked all three of them in the balls and spat on them.  
"Good riddance."  
I ran out the room. I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I was just running forward. It seemed endless but I didn't stop for a second.  
"Exactly where expected." I heard a low yet smooth voice behind me. I reflexively jumped back. I saw a tall figure with long white hair.  
"Do not be afraid. I'm a friend." He extended his hand. He had a genuine smile on his face, and I couldn't sense any underlying motive under his voice. But something about him gave me the creeps. In his other hand, he held an AK-47 and had a bullet strap around his waist. I carefully analyzed him before extending my hand. He took it in his.  
"Good girl." He said before tugging me away. 

Eventually, he led me to where the main fight was going on. He handed me an automatic rifle.  
"Help your girlfriend out."


	3. The Quint

"Help your girlfriend out."

What..? Girlfriend?...  
That's right. I...I have a girlfriend. I have Zephyra.  
I smiled to myself and took the gun into my hands.  
"You can count on me." I said as I ran over to where Marco and Zephyra were shooting some people. When she saw me, I saw her eyes light up. She gave me a smile. A genuine one. Without needing to communicate, we perfectly synced took down all opponent. When the gunfire died down, Zephyra dropped her weapons and gave me a huge hug, picking me up and spinning me around.  
"Thank god you're here. You've gotta stop getting taken away like that."  
"Yeah, I'm sorry." She kissed me on the forehead.  
"Don't apologize."  
"I've never seen Zeph this happy before." I turned around and saw the same white haired guy who led me here.  
"You know, he continued, she was always the edgy type. Dark and mysterious bullshit, you know what I mean?"  
"I was serious about what I said earlier. Watch your mouth." He just smirked at her. It was that mischievous smirk, the one you couldn't resist wiping off.  
"Who even are you?"  
"Who? Me?" He looked at me curiously. I just nodded in response. In that moment, two other people joined us."  
"Zeph, why don't you do the honor?" Zephyra sighed but complied. The five of them stood before me.

"Signe, this is the Quint. You might've heard of us."  
"Wait- THE Quint? You're kidding."  
"I wish I was."  
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" A guy with red hair spoke up.  
"This bobblehead here is Jack. He's very annoying so please excuse him." He got pissed so easily. He stomped over to where Zephyra was standing, but Marco stopped him by simply putting his arm out. Jack clearly was intimidated by him. I wonder what happened between them.  
"Anyway, the sunshine of a person is Tilly, better known as T." She pointed over to the girl with a blue afro. She gave me the sweetest smile. She looked adorable, despite her clothing.  
"And last, but not least, we have Ace." She pointed over to the white haired guy that I met earlier. He did a dramatic bow.  
"Pleasure to meet you." I didn't know what to say. He was the only person in the room which I couldn't read. Like there was a physical wall separating his mind and mine. I've never encountered someone like this. He intrigued me.

We left soon after. I was in the car with Marco and Zephyra, while the other three went in a separate car. The ride was comfortable and quiet, until that same silence was broken.  
"Did they do anything to you?"  
"Nothing too bad."  
"Good. I was about to come back for round two." The three of us laughed lightly. It felt...nice. Really nice. I felt happy. For the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely happy.

The other three went back to our apartment for a game night. We had snacks, drinks, and of course, video games. Me and Marco were the best out of all of us. Jack made a lot of rage quits. I had so much fun. After a few hours, everyone went to sleep. Only me and Zephyra were awake.  
"I want to show you something." She dragged me out into the hallway and led me to the fire exit. There, she climbed all the way up to the roof.  
"Look up." I listened to her and looked up. The view was breathtaking. The sky was so clear and the stars were bright. The moon was full.  
"Come on, lay down." I laid next to her and we watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.  
I wanted nothing more. Nothing was better than this. Just Zephyra and me, under the same starry sky. She took my hand into hers and held it tightly.

"I never want to loose you, Signe. I want to protect you until my last breath."  
"I feel the same way. I feel as if- as if just standing next to you is enough to bring me joy. Your presence alone makes me want to continue for another day. Don't get me mentioned on your smile. You should smile more."  
She turned her head to me and smiled.  
"Yeah, that smile. If I could I'd frame and hang it up in a gallery somewhere." She was blushing. I don't think I've ever seen her blush. I couldn't help but smile. I cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a soft kiss. I felt her smile against the kiss. My heart was all warm and fuzzy.  
"Just being under the same sky is enough for me. Anywhere, even thousands of miles away, as long as we're under the same sky. I'm happy." 

We talked some more before eventually going back inside. We drifted off to a comfortable sleep. 

I had a dream.  
I saw Zephyra. She was standing in an endless abyss. Her long black hair was flowing with the wind. Her hand was extended. I was running towards it. But I was too late. Our fingers brushed as I almost caught her, but missed. She fell down into the abyss, her screams slowly muffling out and her presence forever disappearing. Both inside of me and in front of me. I couldn't remember her. I couldn't remember who I saw fall down. I stood up and...left. Walking down the endless abyss.  
I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard.

Zephyra, who was sitting at the end of the bed, saw me and sat next to me, trying to comfort me. She pulled me close. It made me feel at ease. It's not real. It cant be. It's just a dream. Yeah..! Just some stupid dream.  
Right? 

I continued the day as normal. Later in the day the three others left and it was Zephyra, Marco and me all over again.  
"We're having a joint mission tonight." I heard Zephyra from the kitchen.  
"The three of us? Really?"  
"Yeah."  
"It feels so long ago that we were on a mission together." Marco didn't say anything, just gave me one of his signature warm smiles.  
We spent the remaining time just talking and binging Netflix. Like normal people.

Later that night, we went to get ready and leave. Putting my suit on felt so good. The weight of the weapons around my waist felt good. The tightness from my thigh and chest straps felt good. Everything felt good. The three of us headed out.  
The plan was for Marco and Zephyra to pretend to be costumers from these two targets, and it was on me to snipe them. They agreed to meet in a restaurant at 10PM. There was a tall building direct opposite of the restaurant, with the perfect position. The table was specially aligned to fit my agenda. Everything was going perfect.  
The plan was for me to kill them both with one bullet. It saves time and is more effective. It is hard, but not impossible. I wore my suit while Marco and Zeph wore fancy clothing, fit fore the occasion. 

They dropped me off by the building and gave me and earpiece. I climbed up to the top and prepared myself. I positioned and loaded the sniper.  
"Ready." I said into the earpiece. I watched everything trough the scope. I saw them sit down and greet the targets. I adjusted the aim perfectly so the bullet would hit them both. And I waited. I waited for the signal. Marco was supposed to order gin, which he never did, and that was supposed to signal me to shoot. When I saw the waiter trough the scope, I completely stopped moving and waited for the signal. My grip on the trigger was tightening by the second.  
"...And a glass of gin for me." I immediately pulled the trigger. It shattered the window and hit the two targets perfectly. Both of them were dead on the spot. Zeph looked directly at me and smiled.  
"Good job." In the background I heard yells and screams of the other people. Marco and Zeph pretended they're one of them and went running out the restaurant. I packed up the gun and left. They picked me up behind the building and we went back to the apartment.

The ride was lively. We were all excitedly talking about the mission.  
"I still cant believe you managed to kill them both!."  
"Well you better believe it."  
"This mission went perfectly. You were so good, Signe."  
"Thank you Zeph. You two were amazing too!"

I don't think I've ever felt happier.


	4. Little Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Signe met a young girl at the park.

A few days have passed since that mission.

The days have been ordinary, but fulfilling. I had two or three missions since and they've all went trough perfectly. I've never been as satisfied with myself. I'm currently on a walk with Marco and Zephyra. We were walking trough the city when we walked into a park to take a break. There we sat on a bench, when we saw a girl hunched down under a tree, crying. She appeared no longer than 15.  
"Should we..?" I said as I motioned to the girl.  
"You go, call us over if you need help." I nodded and got up. The girl didn't even notice me coming up to her. I squatted down in front of her.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently. But that didn't stop her from getting startled by me. She wiped her tears.  
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." I looked at her with my eyebrow raised.  
"You can talk to me. I'm a friend." She was hesitant for a second before finally starting to speak. I sat down in front of her.  
"W-Well... I recently moved here from Seattle and I'm new at my school. Ever since I enrolled, I was the target of bullies. They'd hit, push and yell at me. They would say awful things to me and spread false rumors. They also poured bleach in my hair and cut it in an awful way." That's when I noticed the hood on her head.   
"That's awful. Have you tried telling someone?"  
"Of course, but they don't care. My parents told the teachers multiple times what was going on and they haven't done anything. I don't know what to do."

This whole conversation made me angry. Seeing kids getting abused makes my blood boil. No kid deserves this. I got up and extended my hand.  
"Come on. I'll help you out." She took my hand and stood up."  
"Also, what's your name?"  
"I'm Signe. What's yours?"  
"I'm Sofia."  
"Nice to meet you Sofia."  
"Also, why are you doing this?"  
"Because I want to." She looked at me weirdly but followed me anyway. I led her to where Marco and Zephyra were sitting.

"So it went good?"  
"Yeah. I'm gonna help her out."  
"With what?"  
"Long story short, she's getting bullied at school and I can't stand that shit."  
"Well good luck with that."  
"You're not gonna help me?"  
"Of course not. I don't like children."  
I rolled my eyes at her but I wasn't mad. This is something I really want to do, regardless of help. I heard Sofia giggle behind me. It made my heart warm.

"Come on, we need to go." I took her hand and we left the park. I lead her to a hairdresser to get her hair done. When she took her hood off, my heart started to ache. The hair was in ruins. I begged the hairstylist to at least try fixing it. There was enough length left for it to be a cute bob. I even offered to pay extra. She finally agreed.   
It took hours but finally, she was finished. The hair was cut shoulder length and was re-dyed to it's natural color. It looked beautiful.   
Next I led her to a beauty salon to get her nails done and whatever else she needed. I even joined in on the manicure. It was honestly so fun. I felt so young. Finally living out on the teen years I missed. She also got a face mask done and they treated some of her pimples. She was honestly so beautiful, the reason why she was being bullied suddenly clicked. They were all jealous of her. It was the sad truth. It made ma awfully mad.  
After the spa, the last place I wanted to bring her to was the mall to get some new clothes. We talked and laughed while I helped her pick out clothes. I let her buy whatever she wanted. She had really good taste in fashion. Afterwards, we sat in the eating area and bought some fast food. We talked some more and got to know each other better. She was such a nice person. I felt incredibly bad for her. Thankfully she had some good people surrounding her. She was a good kid.  
That's when our conversation got interrupted buy some assholes.

"Ayo fatty! Wanna eat another burger!" The girl and her friends started laughing. Sofia looked down with a dejected look on her face.  
"Why don't you come here and tell her that to her face, you coward!" I yelled back at her. She looked genuinely surprised. Her and her musty friends came over to where we were sitting.  
"Aww, did little Sofie bring her mom to defend her?"   
"No, but you should bring yours to see what kind of a bitch she raised." Sofia suddenly said. Everyone was surprised, including me. I didn't expect her to stand up for herself.   
"You're asking to get beat up."  
"Beat up? By a high schooler?" I genuinely started laughing. Even Sofia started laughing.  
"Who allowed you to laugh." The girl grabbed Sofia by the hair.   
"If you don't leave her alone right this fucking second, you'll regret it." She tightened the grip with a smug look on her face. Maybe I hate kids after all.   
I stood up and walked over to her. My presence alone clearly intimidated her. Her grip slightly loosened.  
"Look, I don't like beating up kids, so could you leave her alone?"  
"Do your worst."  
"If I must." With a quick hit to the back of her head, I knocked her unconscious. I caught her before she could fall. I handed her over to her friends.   
"As I said, I don't like hitting children, so please leave Sofia alone." They scurried away with the girl on their shoulders.   
Sofia looked at me with a worried expression.  
"Oh don't worry, she's just asleep. I didn't hit her hard so she should be awake in around half an hour.  
"It's not that...It's just that I don't want to resort to violence."  
"I don't either, but sometimes it's necessary."  
"Could you please just talk with the teachers tomorrow?"  
"Of course. I'll say hi to you at school." I smiled at her before we parted ways. 

I felt kind of bad. I just invaded this random girls privacy for my own benefit. And now I'm resorting to violence with CHILDREN. God...I've hit rock bottom haven't I? I mean...violence is the only way I've ever been taught. I don't know better. Still, that's not an excuse. What am I even doing?   
I entered the apartment and headed straight to bed. I didn't say anything nor did I care about the fact that it was only 7PM, I just wanted to completely evade my emotions and end the day.

I woke up kind of late. I slept for 14 hours.   
I got ready to head to Sofia's school. I put on some nice clothes and my black trench coat. I stepped into the elevator to go down the building. I stared at myself in the mirror. At my poorly dyed white hair, sickly pale skin and red eyes. Even my eye color has been paling. I sighed. Will I ever get better. I looked more ill by the day. I guess that's what 10 years of assassin training in extreme conditions does to you.  
What even happened? My skin was so rich in color and my eyes were a deep amber. My hair was dark and thick. I looked so healthy.  
Look at me now. Dyed white hair, originally light brown with a few grays here and there. Gray eyes. Pale skin and red eyes. I look awful. I didn't even notice how bad it got after prison.

How does Zephyra not look like that?  
She has deep black hair and eyes. Her skin is pale-ish but not sickly. She looks so healthy. Marco too. He has rosy skin with beautiful brown hair and eyes. I'm honestly so jealous.  
If only I didn't have COPD.  
I didn't even notice how quick I got to the school. I walked in and asked around 'till I got to the principal's office.   
"How can I help you today?"  
"Hi! I'm here to talk about Sofia Miller."   
"Is everything okay?"  
"No. She told me about her relentless bullying at this school and how you as members of faculty have failed to put a stop to this."  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry ma'am. I'm gonna do my best to-"  
"You aren't gonna do shit. What I want you to do is to punish those kids accordingly. I want you to listen. I want you to bring justice to this. Are you aware of how many children suffer in silence because of people like you? Kids take their lives over this! So why don't you do your fucking job and punish those brats already?" She was stunned. She just quietly called Sofia into the office.  
Soon after she came in and told the principal everything she told me yesterday. The principal then called those idiot's in. They flinched when they saw me. I just smiled at them and stepped out the office. Hearing the principal yell at them made me so happy. I waited patiently for the principal to finish with them. All of them came out crying. I thanked the principal and left.

"Wait, Signe."  
"Hm?"  
"Why did you do this?" I stopped to think for a second.  
"Because I want to see kids living out their childhood years happy. It makes me sad seeing kids having to miss out on that, y'know?" I smiled at her before leaving.  
Truth is, I didn't know why I was doing this. I mean, I wasn't lying about what I said earlier. But still, I wasn't sure of the real reason why. I just felt like I had to. 

As I entered the apartment, I took off my coat and shoes. As I was walking to the couch, I started coughing. A lot. I couldn't stop coughing. Even Zephyra came out to see if I was choking. I looked at my hand and saw blood.  
Oh no.  
Not again.  
It was quiet for so long! Why now?   
My legs started feeling weak and I felt dizzy. I only heard a thud as I felt my head hit the floor. I couldn't process anything. I could only hear Zephyra's fuzzy screams.

Why again?


	5. An Enemy From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An illness from Signe's childhood has resurfaced. It wasn't active for years, so this came as a bit of a surprise.

I woke up to a white light swallowing my vision.  
Blinking a few times helped clear my vision. It was still blurry. I saw a tiled ceiling. Ah, I'm in a hospital. Why though? I can't remember much.  
Suddenly, a sharp pain in my chest made me jolt up. I caught myself on some cables and whatnot, which just caused additional pain. I winced again. Everything hurt, my chest and head mostly.  
I didn't even notice a person using my legs as a pillow. I stared at the long-haired woman, trying to remember who she was. Wait, who am I? I closed my eyes to concentrate.  
I am...  
...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Ah, that's right. I'm Signe. Signe... Hexum. I'm an assassin.  
All of my memories started slowly flowing back. All of them. Even the ones I thought I suppressed deep into my conscious. They all played like a move before me. Slowly, it became clear who the woman sleeping here was. It was Zephyra, my girlfriend. A sad smile carved on my face. I reached my hand out to pat her head. I noticed all the tubes attached to the back of my hand. This is the worst.  
Zephyra slowly woke up. She looked confused before she saw that I was awake. She practically jumped up and gave me a tight yet gentle hug. She held me tightly, but not too tight. Like she was making sure I wasn't gonna break in her arms. I noticed her tears soaking into my gown. I slowly returned the hug.  
"I'm so glad you're awake." She said, still nuzzled into my shoulder. Now my heart ached too. I made her worry. 

"What happened?"  
"Well you suddenly collapsed on the floor and me and Marco rushed you to the hospital. You were asleep for around 6 hours. Marco is still in the waiting room. He's too scared to go in. I'll go get him." She stood up and left the room.  
For the few seconds I was alone, I stared at my legs covered by a sheet. I thought to myself: "Is this it? Is the illness I first got diagnosed with in training finally taking over?" It seemed so unreal. All those years ago, the doctors told me it was a chronic illness and that I probably wouldn't live for long. But that was 14 years ago. It would come and go in episodes characterized in heavy coughing fits frequently with blood, chest pains, fainting and all kinds of other shit. But my last episode was 8 years ago. I thought it has surely gone away.  
Oh how wrong I was.

And here I am, back in this stupid hospital. I despised every hospital with every fiber of my being. I spent a lot of time in these. It interrupted trainings so I never liked it. Which sounds weird, but anything was better than rotting away in a hospital. It made me feel weak.  
Zephyra came back with Marco and a doctor. Marco had a heart-wrenching look on his face. A mixture of pain, guilt and pure sadness. It was so painful to even watch. He came up to me and hugged me. He was awfully gentle. He held me like a broken vase, trying to hold me up so I wont shatter back into pieces. It just made me more sad.  
"Can I talk with miss Signe now please?"  
"Right, of course." The two of them left the room.

"It's COPD, right?"  
"...Yes. It's COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Have you had experience with this prior?"  
"Yes, I was first diagnosed when I was around 10."  
"How old are you now?"  
"24." He looked taken aback.  
"I was told I'd die in like a year, but here I am." I told him about my episodes and how one didn't occur in years.  
"I heard about that a few times, yes. Since the illness has completely taken over your lungs, we cannot do anything about it. Your life expectancy is a few months. I'm sorry." Nothing I didn't expect. It felt bittersweet. Something I wished for for so long is finally coming true, but... I do not long for death anymore. Not after meeting Zephyra and Marco. But if there is nothing they can do...  
"You have two options. One, is to leave and live your life for the next few months, or to stay here and-"  
"I'm leaving." I didn't even have to think about it. If I'm gonna die anyway, I want to die outside the hospital.

The doctor unplugged me for all those tubes and wires. He gave me some placeholder medication and let me go. Marco and Zephyra helped me get into the car. The ride was dead silent. When we came back to the apartment, no one said anything, we just went our own separate ways. As I was walking back into the living room, I noticed a stain on the wooden floor. I crouched down to see what it is, but it hit me way before I even got to see the stain up close. This is the place I collapsed in. And that's a bloodstain. I spat on my finger and cleaned it. I stared at that spot with pure disgust, it reminded me of everything I wanted to repress. I just ignored it, like I always do.

A few hours later, all three of us were in the living room. It was still quiet, only the faint buzzing of the TV interrupting the deafening silence. Neither of us knew what to say, so we didn't. Until Zephyra did.  
"So...should I cancel tonight's mission?"   
"Why?" I looked at her with a confused look on my face.  
"Because...you know." Ah, right. I forgot about that. What's more is that she wouldn't even dare say it.  
"That doesn't mean I can't work."  
"I just don't want it to get worse."  
"It cannot go worse that this. Moreover, some exercise won't do any harm." She hesitated for a moment.  
"...Fine. Just don't push yourself."  
"I won't" I smiled at her. I tried to reassure her. But deep down I knew I'd only be dead weight. Before when I got episodes, I couldn't even get out of bed. I could barely breathe. But...I really don't want to worry her. I don't want her to treat me any different than before.

I don't want this stupid illness to affect what we've built. And I'll make sure it doesn't.


	6. Mission With A Handicap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonight is the first mission since Signe got re-diagnosed with her illness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall! I just wanna say I'm sorry for not updating in a while. I had a writers block, so to say. I don't know how to describe it...not a single concept to write about popped in my head, so I'm winging it this chapter.
> 
> I'm sorry in advance if this or any future chapter doesn't meet your expectations.
> 
> -Akira

It's been a while since I put my suit on.  
It felt tighter than before, but I didn't mind. It kind of reminded me of when I was first starting out. I tightened the harnesses around my waist and chest. I stared at myself in the mirror. I weird sense of guilt washed over me. Why?  
Because the mood has obviously shifted.

Ever since we agreed on taking tonight's mission, both Marco and Zephyra were kind of avoiding talking about it or with me in general. They seemed uneasy. I was determined to prove to them that I can still work. That was my sole goal for tonight. I left the bathroom to pack up some stuff.  
I was gearing up with weapons, when I felt soft hands glide and wrap around my waist. The familiar warmth and scent made me feel at ease instead of alarmed. I eased into Zephyra's embrace. She nuzzled her head into my shoulder.  
"Are you sure about this?"  
"Yes. I want to live my life as usual. I don't want you or Marco to treat me any different than before." I felt her nod.  
"We should head out now." I grabbed my bag and we left our room. 

We met Marco out in the living room, fiddling with some stuff.   
"I'll go get the car ready, you two come down when you're ready." Zephyra said as she left the apartment. Marco waited a moment before speaking up.  
"Can I talk to you for a second?"   
"Sure, what's up?" I said as I sat next to him on the couch.  
"I want you to hear me out beginning to end. Look, I still love you. I can't tell whether these feelings are platonic or romantic, nor do I care. I know I cherish you and want to protect you, even if it costed me my life. So please, as soon as you feel even a little bit sick, tell us. I don't want to lose you."  
I stayed quiet for a moment, processing what he said.  
"...You wont lose me, Marco. I completely understand what you mean, but this is my life. I want to live it out fully until the last second. I hope you respect that."  
He suddenly lashed out. I reflexively raised my hands in defense, and he took them into his, gripping firmly.  
"How can I respect that?!" His tone was loud and harsh, like nothing I've heard before. "Do you not understand how I feel? I want to protect you dammit! Don't go around treating your life like a toy!" 

There was silence. Marco slowly realized what kind of scene he created. The expression of regret and utter disgust carved into his face. He let go of my arms and hugged me tightly, like he always did. Tight enough to comfort me, and gentle enough to not break me. I melted into it. He was muttering his apology. I rubbed his back in assurance.  
"It's okay, Marco. I understand. But you have to understand that I make the ultimate decision. When I die, I'll die knowing I lived life like I wanted to, taking it head on. He nodded.   
"Thank you, Marco." I hugged him again.   
As he pulled away, he cupped my face and stared into my eyes. He looked like he was holding back from something. He quickly stood up and grabbed his things.   
"We should probably go now."  
"Right." We headed out together.

Zephyra was waiting for us outside and we left.  
"Tonight's mission isn't anything special. We're playing bodyguards for a mobster. Oh and also, we'll have to wear suits over this." Me and Marc let out loud grunts of annoyance while Zephyra laughed at us.   
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad."  
"Whatever. Doesn't this so called mobster have their own guards?"  
"He does. But he's going to an upscale meeting about something important so he needs the best of the best." Interesting. I wonder what's the meeting about.

We arrived at an upscale restaurant. There we were met with a woman who introduced herself as the chief assistant.   
"It's just the three of you?"  
"Do you need more?" Marco said jokingly. She rolled her eyes and led us inside. Instead of going to the dining space, we took a turn and went into the back. That's where the real face of the restaurant was revealed. It was a full blown office. And it was huge. She led us deeper into the building, until we eventually hit a few bedroom type spaces.  
"You have all your equipment in your respective rooms. After your ready, meet me at where we first entered the back." She said before walking away.  
The three of us wordlessly entered our rooms.

The room was pretty basic-looking. On the bed was laid out a black suit, complete with a white undershirt, a black tie and black shoes. I put those on and checked myself in the mirror. I look really good in suits. Damn. I fixed my hair a bit before continuing to explore the room. On the desk, I found a revolver and six bullets lined up next to it. My suit was still under my clothing so I was still armed. I took the revolver anyway and loaded it. When I put it in my pocket, I felt the heaviness of all the weapons slowly settle in. This never happened before. I didn't mind it though.  
After going trough the rest of the room, I walked back out into the hallway. There I met up with Zeph and Marco. They both wore the same thing as I did and had the same revolver. Together we walked back to the office. 

The assistant basically dragged us to a room on the other side of the office. From the outside it looked like a meeting room. As soon as the door opened, a strong gust of cigarette smoke hit me. Inside the room was two couches facing each other and a coffee table in between. The three of us sat across the figure sitting in the other couch. He had a cigarette hanging from his mouth. His face was framed by jet black hair. He wore a stylish suit and had a glass of gin on the table in front of him. Overall, a pretty intimidating figure. He spoke in a low, smooth voice.  
"Are these my body guards for tonight?" The smell of cigarette smoke got heavy again.  
"Yes, sir."  
"Good. You're free to leave." The lady left the room.  
"So, I'll be your boss tonight. Let's get a few things straight:  
1\. My order is absolute. I expect anything I say to be executed as I said. No exceptions  
2\. I invited the best of the best, I expect you to act like it.  
3\. Tonight's meeting is very important. Even if you breathe the wrong way you will be killed.  
Understood?"  
The three of us nodded.  
"Good. We'll be using two cars, so one person has to come with me." He analyzed the three of us closely.  
"...You." He pointed at me. "You come with me. You two find the assistant, she'll give you the next orders." He stood up and we did right after. The height difference between us was hilarious. He was around my height (185cm), while Zephyra (190cm) and Marco (195cm) were far taller than him. I pinched myself hard so I wouldn't laugh. He walked out and I followed behind him. I waved to Zeph and Marco before catching up to the boss.


	7. Mission With A Handicap (Cont.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio met their employer for tonight. The mission is about to start.

"Why did You choose me?"  
"Are you questioning me?"  
"No sir. Just curious." He looked over at me while my gaze was fixed forwards. He paused and scanned me closely before speaking again.  
"...To be honest, I'm not sure myself. There's something about you." There was silence between us for the rest of the walk.

When we exited the building, there was two black cars waiting for us. I held the door for the boss and entered after him. The cars started moving. The other car was going in front of us. The ride was silent for a while.   
"Are you the strongest out of the three?"  
"No sir. Actually, I have the least experience." He nodded softly. Suddenly I felt the strong urge to cough. But it didn't stop. I had a whole 5 minute coughing fit. I saw blood on the palm of my hand. My throat was sore.   
"Fuck..." I muttered into my chin.  
"...Are you alright?" I quickly hid my hand.  
"Yes sir. Please excuse my behavior." He handed me a handkerchief.  
"Here. You should be more careful." I took the handkerchief and wiped the blood from my palm. I was quite confused, but still grateful for the gesture. I stuffed the handkerchief into my pocket.

I didn't even notice how quickly we arrived. I exited the car and opened the door for the boss. Zephyra and Marco arrived a minute earlier and were already waiting for us. They walked in front of the boss while I guarded the back.   
We entered a...casino? Despite the late hour, the casino was in full swing. Music was blaring, people were gambling and drinking. But obviously this wasn't where we were going. It looked like Zeph and Marco were instructed beforehand. They knew exactly where to go. I trailed behind the three of them. They maneuvered trough the place like their own home. We reached a door in the very back of the casino. It opened to a dimly lit room. As we were walking further in, it more looked like a classic office. It was kinda weird, but it just looked like the place where you'd do the not so fun parts of a casino. Like paperwork and money laundering.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" A mans voice came out of nowhere.  
"Alexander." Boss said with an annoyed undertone.  
"Kye." The man said. Almost like he was trying to offend him.  
"Don't call me that. Let's just get this over with."  
"Whatever you say." He led us to a room with a single table and two chairs facing each other. The three of us lined up against the wall while our boss and this other man sat by the table.

"So why did you drag me all the way over here?"  
"You know why, Kye."  
"If it's about that drug deal I alr-"  
"Oh, not at all!" Boss looked confusedly at the other man.  
"What do you want then?"  
"You know that deal that Meandro proposed to us like a year ago?"  
"..Yeah? And we declined it. What about it?"  
"Well...he proposed it to us again. But the odds are better for us." The man said as he pulled out some papers and a briefcase. He slid the papers towards our boss. As he skimmed over the papers, his eyes widened in surprise.  
"This isn't a joke, right?"  
"I'm dead serious Kye. He's offering us twice the amount of money and twice the amount of assets."  
"There has to be a catch."  
"Of course there is." He took one of the papers and pointed to a paragraph. "Half the profits we get from this go directly to him. We get double the loot and half the profit. But, the half is the same we would get with the old deal. A win-win I'd say."  
"...Sounds too good to be true. Where did all this come from?"  
"The two of us had a small deal and he brought it up. Oh and since we both are signing the deal, we're only giving him 25% of individual earnings."  
Boss stopped to think for a second. He looked extremely skeptical.

"How sure are you of this being legit?"  
"99.999%. We have a contract that went trough three different lawyers. We get the money and the assets first, compensation for him goes later, when the profit comes in."  
He paused again. He turned in his chair and looked at the three of us.  
"What do you three think?"  
"In the worst case scenario, you can hire us to kill him." Zephyra proposed.  
"I like the way you think." He turned back to the other man. "Sign it. It'll be good." The man was thrilled.  
"Good. Just sign right here and I'll take care of the rest." They shook hands and our boss stood up to leave. Marco and Zephyra took their positions in front of the boss and I stayed behind. We exited the casino and the boss told us to wait on the side. He talked to the drivers before coming back to us.  
"Do you mind working for me a little longer? I want to visit someone."  
"No sir. It's our pleasure to do business with you."  
"Good. We have the same car arrangement as before." We all took our seats and drove off.

"Sir? May I ask where we're going?"  
"You heard when the guy we just met up with mentioned someone named Meandro? We're going for a quick visit to his residence."  
I nodded my head. I was feeling a bit tired, so I laid my head on the window and stared at the moving lights of the night. It was mesmerizing.   
"Miss, are you tired?" I jolted upwards.  
"No sir."  
"Its fine if you are. The ride is gonna take a bit so don't be afraid of taking a quick nap."  
"Thank you for the gesture, but that'd be unprofessional of me. I'm trained to do this."  
"Suit yourself." The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence.

We arrived outside an extremely luxury house. Since we had to go trough a guarded gate, Meandro was already expecting us.  
"Kyle, my man!" He said as he approached boss with open arms. He gave him a big hug, that boss didn't return.  
"I'm here for a little chat about the deal you proposed to Alexander."  
"Oh, that. What about it?"  
"It seems to good to be true, especially for a guy like you."  
"Don't insult me." He made a mocking pouting face.   
"What's the catch?"  
"There is no catch. It is what's written in the contract."  
"Just tell me before I need to get violent."  
"Are you threatening me." He suddenly got serious. The three of us took our stances around our boss.  
"It's not a threat, it's a promise." 

Meandro suddenly swung his arm back. Marco with his insanely quick reflexes got behind him and grabbed his arm. I got in front of the boss while Zephyra knocked Meandro down. The three of us towered over him.  
"Lay a finger on boss again, I dare you." I spat on his face.  
"Best of the best, huh..." Boss said as he smiled to himself.


	8. The Pulmonologist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission was a success. Iota got something else in reward, besides money. Something potentially even more valuable.

Meandro scrambled back up on his feet again.  
"Y'all are nasty." The three of us stared him down.  
"Fine, I'll speak. Under one condition."  
"No conditions, just spit it out."  
"I don't work that way."  
"Neither do I." I slammed my elbow into his nose, subsequently breaking it. He yelped in pain and pressed his palm onto his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding.  
"Do as I say and I wont need to hurt you." He didn't say anything so we took that as a yes. Boss continued.  
"Tell me out what part of your musty ass did you pull this deal out of."  
"I'm in a lot of debt. And loan sharks have been breathing down my neck, so I altered the previous deal so that it has a higher interest rate. In other words in formatted it to get more money from the two of you. That's why it sounds so tempting."  
"You've always been a lowly pig. You know that, Meandro? Stay far away from us."  
He scrambled back into his house, screaming for security. The four of got back into the cars and drove off.

I checked my phone.  
It was 1:30AM. God, I'm tired.  
"You three were amazing tonight. I look forward to employing you again."  
"O-Oh, thank you so much, sir! I hope I'll live to see the day you do." I stopped when I realized what I said. Great job, you fucking idiot. Boss looked at me worriedly.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"Nothing... It's just that death is a very common thing in my line of work and-"  
"Don't lie to me. I know that's not what you meant." I paused for a second. I mean, nothing wrong can come out of telling him.  
"Well...I have this lung disease. It has completely ruined my lungs and its only a matter of time till I'm unable to breathe anymore and die."  
"Is it COPD?"  
"Yeah...how did you know?"  
"Because my brother had the same thing. I know an amazing doctor. He might be able to help."  
"The illness has been here for over 14 years, I doubt he can do anything."  
"Just let him take a look. I'll give you his number."  
"Thank you.. But, why are you doing this?"  
"It's the least I can do after your amazing work tonight." I was taken aback. I never had a more respectful boss. Usually they're stuck up gangsters who think selling drugs and having some money makes you better than everyone else. He wrote down a phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to me.  
"Thank you so much.. I-I don't know what I did to deserve this. Do I need to pay you back somehow?"  
"Relax... You don't need to do anything. I'm just rewarding you for good work, that's it." He leaned back into his seat. I put the piece of paper into my pocket and leaned back as well. 

The cars stopped at the same place as we fist stepped into them. We collected our money and left. We were all pretty tired so everyone headed to their rooms, including me. Despite how tired I was, I couldn't fall asleep. I got up and walked onto the roof.  
It was chilly, but nothing crazy. I sat down and admired the beautiful view. Wind blew trough my hair. I pulled out the piece of paper and read what it said.

646-763-8257  
Maxim - Pulmonologist

I stared at the piece of paper for a while.  
I wasn't sure if I should call or not. I mean, even if he takes a look, he wont be able to do anything. It's been eating at my lungs for around 14 years. It at a point of no return. But what if...  
"What are you doing out here?" I turned around and saw Marco walk onto the roof trough the fire exit.  
"I cant sleep."  
"Me neither." He sat beside me. I leaned on his shoulder and sighed.  
"What's wrong?" He asked.  
"I'm just...confused."  
"About what?" I explained to him what happened in the car. "Well you should definitely call him! It can't hurt you."  
"...You're right, but.."  
"But what?! Not buts! You're going and that's the end of it. Even if there's a tiny chance that you can live longer I want you to grasp it and hold it tight. Never ever give up on life, no matter how hard it is." He looked at me with a gleam in his eyes. Like a child's eyes. So innocent and full of determination. I took what he said to heart.  
We went back inside together.

I laid next to Zephyra and stared at the dark ceiling. I still couldn't sleep. What Marco said was still echoing in my head. Maybe he's right. 

...

I somehow managed to succumb to a light slumber.  
I woke up a few hours later to the sound of Zephyra shuffling around the room. I still felt hazy.  
"What is this?" I heard Zeph ask.  
I rubbed my eyes. "What?"  
"This."  
She turned around with a piece of paper in her hand. Now or never I guess.  
"Who's Maxim? ...a pulmonologist? Signe, do you know this man?"  
"Easy with the questions. I got the number from our boss last night. I might call him."  
It was quiet for a moment. She stared at the piece of paper before putting it back down.  
"Call him. Hope it goes well." She gave me a faint smile before leaving the room.

This was the first time I couldn't read her. She was usually like an open book to me.  
......

I stepped outside with my phone and the paper in my hand. I dialed the number.  
Ring...  
Ring...  
Ring...  
...  
...  
"Maybe I should-"  
"Hello, this is Dr. Maxim. How may I help you?"


	9. A New Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Signe meets Dr. Maxim, a new opportunity arises.

"Hello, I got your number from Mr. Kyle, as he recommended you as one of the best."  
"...How may I help you."  
"Well this might sound insane, but I've been diagnosed with COPD 14 years ago..." I proceeded to tell him everything about my illness. "Do you think there's anything you can do?"  
"It may be impossible, but you should still come by. Does this afternoon sound good?"  
"Oh, sure. See you then."  
I hanged up.

The rush was insane.  
I've never felt like this before. I can't put my finger on it. All I knew is that I felt good.  
I stared at the city skyline as wind blew trough my hair.

Maybe I'll have a chance at a long life. This is something that was unimaginable for me since I was a kid.  
It feels surreal.

I came back down into the apartment and joined Zephyra and Marco who were eating breakfast.   
We talked and ate for a while until we got a phone call. Zephyra picked up.  
"Hello?"  
"Good morning, is this the people I worked with last night?" I almost choked on my food.  
"Yes. How may I help you."  
"Sorry for calling so soon after last employing you, but an urgent matter has arose. We'll meet tomorrow night at the same place as last night. I'll clear up everything else in person. Looking forward to seeing you." I hung up.  
"Mans didn't even give us a chance to accept or deny."  
"It's not like we have anything else for tomorrow, right?"  
"I mean yeah..."   
We agreed to the boss's deal between the three of us.

Some time passed before I started getting ready to visit Dr. Maxim.  
I was pretty nervous and excited at the same time. In spite of my chances being slim to none, I was hopeful. It was nice for a change. Plus I wore casual clothes for the first time in a while.   
I wore a basic tee and some straight jeans. It wasn't anything special, but it was comfortable and clean. My hair looked nice for the first time in a while. It was shoulder-length and still white.  
I liked how I looked.  
I stepped outside my bedroom and gave Zephyra a kiss before leaving.

Dr. Maxim left me the address via text message.   
I called an Uber, since it was a bit far away.  
The ride was quiet so I didn't even notice how fast we got there.  
The car stopped outside a pretty nice building. I walked up to the door and saw a small metal plate next to it, with "Residency of pulmonologist Dr. Maxim" engraved into it.   
This must be the place.

When I entered, I saw a pretty small reception and waiting room. I walked up to the receptionist.  
"Hello, I'm here for an appointment."  
"What's your name?"  
"Signe Hexum."  
"Alriiight. Yup here you are. Dr. Maxim will have you in in just a second."   
"Thank you."  
I sat down on one of the couches in the waiting room. It was surprisingly comfortable.   
The receptionist was right, it was just a second. I was called in almost at the same time I sat down.

"You must be Signe."  
"Yes. Pleasure meeting you."  
"The pleasure is all mine. So, how did you meet Kyle?"  
"O-oh... Well its kind of-"  
"Don't worry, I know what he does for a living. You can tell me anything." That made me feel surprisingly at ease.  
"Well, I'm an assassin. He employed me and my friends last night."  
"Interesting." I nodded in agreement.   
It was silent while he was preparing his tools.

At first he did some basic things, like check my heartbeat. Then he drew my blood and scanned my lungs and told me to wait for the results. It didn't take long before I was back in the room I was first in.  
"So your results were no short of surprising. It hasn't spread that much at all. But where it did is a critical area. That's why you experienced those episodes and pretty much all your extreme symptoms. But the inconsistent appearance of of your episodes is still a mystery. Not like it affects anything though." I was at a loss of words. All my life I've been told it spread to an irreversible degree and that I'll die before 30.  
"C-Can you do anything about it?"  
"Well since a relatively small area has been affected I can perform surgery to remove that part and possibly replace it. Would Monday work for you."  
"Hold on, I'm still processing this. I- u.. w-what about the cost? I don't think I can afford surgery."  
"Don't worry about that. Kyle already covered that."  
What? Why would he do that. I'm so confused.  
"T-Thank you so much I..."   
"No need to thank me. This is my job."  
I shook his hand and left the residency still processing what the fuck just happened. 

The Uber ride home was silent once again. I still couldn't believe what just happened.   
I couldn't wait to meet with Zephyra and Marco.  
I practically ran up to the apartment and slammed the door open. Both of them we're in the main room and jumped at the sound of me slamming the door open.   
"I'm getting surgery."   
It was quiet for a moment.  
Zephyra put down her mug and slowly walked up to me. She wrapped her arms around me as I felt her tears soak into my shirt. She sobbed quietly.  
"You get to stay with me longer, right?" I returned the hug.  
"I never planned on leaving."   
Marco, who was sitting on the couch, jumped up and ran towards us, screaming in joy. He almost knocked us down. We laughed together, in a group hug.


	10. The Final Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final mission before the surgery.

Before I even realized it, it was time to get ready and meet with boss again.

I was beyond excited.  
I wanted to thank him for telling me about Dr. Maxim and practically saving my life. The three of us were in a good mood. We all got ready and showed up a bit early.  
We were lead to the back office once again. There we met up with our boss.

"Oh, I didn't expect you for another 15 minutes. But the earlier the better." He lead us to the meeting room where we met for the first time and closed the door behind him.  
We sat down and boss started speaking.

"Remember the guy you beat up last time?" We all nodded.  
"Well, he decided to declare a war. I don't think its anything serious, since he never opposed a real threat to my company."  
"So why are we here?"  
"Because I don't like to take risks. Especially those who don't benefit me. I want you three to assassinate him. The method is up to you. You will be provided with anything you need. Once he's dead, you completed the job. I'll take care of anything else."  
"So that's it? You just want us to kill him?"  
"Yes."  
"So why the three of us? One person is enough to do the job. Zephyra argued.  
"It would be, if he didn't start taking four guards with him everywhere since last time."  
The three of us shared looks. Was he really that paranoid?

"So, tonight, my company is holding an invite-only party. He doesn't know it's us though. For all he knows its some random VIP party. Anyway, you are to take this to your advantage. All the staff have been informed of this beforehand, so you can ask them for any sort of assistance. Everything else, including the killing itself, is up to you."  
It was quiet for a bit.  
"Can we talk between us?"  
"Of course." He stepped out of the meeting room.

"Do y'all have any ideas?" Marco asked.  
"Well we could go with the easy method of spiking his drink, but he might be too on-guard for that." Zephyra proposed.  
"Can you leave the actual killing to me? I'll drunk him up. One of you will act as a waiter, bring us drinks, hand him the spiked one. Don't make it lethal though. Just enough to make him feel dazed. I'll take it from there."  
"So who's gonna be who?" Marco asked.  
"You will pretend to be my date for the night, we'll argue in front of him, and hopefully he'll take the bait. Zephyra will be the server. Although be careful not to come up too close to him so he wont recognize you. Always serve from my side."  
"Sounds good." 

We left the meeting room and informed boss of our plan. It wasn't anything special, but it was effective.  
We started getting ready.  
Me and Marco put on fancy clothes, and I put on a black wig, around the same length as my real hair. Zephyra wore a waiter outfit.  
We were separated into the same cars as last time, so I was alone with the boss once again.

"I just wanted to thank you for giving me Dr. Maxim's number."  
"It's nothing. I do nice things for people I like."  
"O-Oh...thank you, sir."  
He turned around to face me.  
"Do you know why I favor you over those two?"  
"No sir."  
"Those two have reached the peak of their potential, while you still have some left in you. That's why I want you to work for me. I feel like a change of environment would help bring out your potential."  
"I'm afraid I have to decline. I'm already too deep here, and I can't leave those two."  
"As you wish. The offer still stands if you change your mind."

We arrived relatively quickly.  
I stepped aside with Marco and the two of us made up a script. Zeph went around the back and entered the kitchen. Boss stayed in the car, parked a bit farther away.  
All of us were connected by an earpiece.  
The mission was now in motion.

I walked in with Marco next to me. We spotted him almost immediately. We inched closer, just close enough to be in earshot.  
"I knew it! I knew you were looking at other girls! Why did you bother bringing me here if all you're gonna do is stare at other women's asses!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our target turn his head at us."  
"I told you a million times! I only look at you!"  
"And now you're lying to my face! How fucking dare you." We continued going back and forth.  
"That's no way to treat a lady. You should come with me." He took the bait. I walked away with him and we sat together.  
Now it was time for Zephyra.

But before she could even show up, something went awry.  
I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. Meandro leaned in and whispered in my ear.  
"You think I wouldn't recognize you?"  
Chills went down my spine. That knife was in deep. I haven't been stabbed this bad in a while.

With the last ounce of energy, I pulled the knife out and slit Meandro's throat.  
If I'm going down, he's going down with me. The two of us dropped on the floor. 

The screams of other people were slowly drowning out. I heard a faint sound of Zephyra calling my name. I felt as my dress got heavier as it soaked with more and more blood. The last thing I felt is Zephyra's delicate hands gripping onto me tightly.

Then, it was all white.   
I stood in a white abyss. It seemed infinite. Suddenly, like a movie, my earliest memories started playing. My eyes were glued to it. I physically could not look away.   
The first thing that started playing was me getting dragged away form the orphanage and left at the training camp.  
It lasted on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and-  
I had to relive it all. Every last second. I could almost feel everything I felt back then. I was just a kid.  
Tears started streaming down my face. I just silently cried. Like I did back then.

It felt a little better when the memories of the literal torture passed and I was thrown in the business full time. After that it was dull.  
Until I met Zephyra. I relived the day I first saw her. I scrambled onto my feet, trying to reach her. But it wasn't real. None of it was.   
I relived everything I went trough with those two. Every last second. And I was grateful for it. I was grateful for spending my last few years with those two.

I truly loved them both.  
I wish I could've said goodbye.

The white abyss started collapsing again, and I lost consciousness.

Meanwhile....

Barely 7 minutes passed. Zephyra was clutching onto Signe's body. She was screaming, refusing to move. She held onto a limp corpse for 7 full minutes. She eventually got up and put Signe's corpse on her shoulder and dragged her out of the venue.   
Marco ran after her.  
"We're going home Marco." He stopped her.  
"Zephyra. No we are not. She's dead. She deserves a proper burial.  
"DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT SIGNE AT ALL?!" That stung. But Marco was right, and the both of them knew it. He laid Signe's corpse down and placed his jacked over her face. Zephyra collapsed onto her knees. She started crying again.

She couldn't believe she lost her soulmate.  
It felt like a knife trough the heart.


End file.
